Assistance in Encoding AVC using Nero Recode

[Ghostwater]

CPU: AMD X2 3800
Software: Nero Recode ver. 2.2.8.5
Profile: Standard AVC

I’m using Nero Recode to Encode TV Episodes off of DVD but I have some Questions about the process. The DVD I encoded took about 15 hrs to complete, with an average FPS of 30 on the first pass and 6.5 on the second.

1. Is this a normal encoding time or am I doing something wrong?

2. Is there anything I can do to reduce encoding time without sacrificing a lot of quality?

3. Would I have better times using x264 & StaxRip?

4. The Episodes I encoded seem to come out dark and a bit muddy. Are there any setting in Nero or StaxRip that will sharpen the image and/or increase the brightness?

Any help would be appreciated.

[Daodan]

Welcome.
1. It is normal time. Actually nero is using only one core (maybe the version that comes with nero7 uses both, but I doubt).
2.Not much to do. Nero by default uses good settings but on the edge, going for faster settings will decrease noticeably the quality.
3.You could. I don't know abou StaxRip, probably it has profiles just like megui, just choose one that you like. The good thing with x264 is that you have more settings to play with, and it can use both cores, so i would say that going to x264 will be better for you.
4.I didn't notice any way to increase brightness in Nero. I recommend to make your own avisynth scripts and feed them to nero or Staxrip, you can add there ColorMatrix, that repairs this problem when encoding from mpeg2 (more info in the avisynth usage forum). Besides this problem , nero has some problems with the final AR of your picture, like everything that is one-click. Of course, in avisynth you can add any filters you like to your picture like denoisers, sharpeners, etc. One-click programs are easier but limited.